"Grrraaa!"
BOOM!
The hulking black bear, a mountain of muscle and fur, unleashed a ferocious roar, its claws slashing through the air with deadly precision. Supreme, his senses heightened, twisted his body in a lightning-fast maneuver, narrowly avoiding the brutal assault. Utilizing his enhanced speed, he darted behind the bear, his dagger flashing in the dim light as he delivered a powerful slash across its flank.
"Grrraaa!"
The bear let out a guttural growl of pain, its massive frame pivoting to face its attacker. In a swift, predatory motion, it snapped its jaws, attempting to seize the agile human.
Supreme, anticipating the attack, leaped backward, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the bear's formidable presence.
{Damage delivered: -300 HP}
{Targeted target: 700/1,000}
'A level 4 monster with 1,000 health points? How is that even possible?' Supreme thought, his mind racing. He recalled the scavenger wolves, level 2 monsters that possessed a mere 200 health points. The disparity was staggering.
Supreme shook his head, a solemn expression settling upon his features. "This is really fucked-up!"
{Why do you like cussing?} the system inquired, its voice a neutral, digital tone.
He ignored the system's query, his attention fixed on the black bear, which had abruptly risen onto its hind legs, its eyes glowing with predatory intensity.
"This is getting fun," Supreme muttered, a hint of grim determination in his voice.
"Grraaaa!!"
The bear, its rage palpable, unleashed another deafening roar and lunged forward, its massive form moving with surprising speed on all fours.
"I can't let a common level 4 monster stop me," Supreme declared, his resolve hardening.
He charged forward, intending to meet the bear's assault head-on. However, an unexpected surge of speed from the bear caught him off guard.
The moment he closed within ten feet, the bear's velocity increased exponentially, propelling it through the air like a projectile, arriving in front of him within seconds.
"What the...?"
BAM!
The bear's powerful front claws connected with Supreme's chest, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his body. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a ragdoll.
Supreme, his reflexes honed, managed to regain his composure midair, landing on his right knee with a thud.
"That was surprising," he muttered, his voice laced with a hint of shock.
<60/100 HP>
"Forty HP gone?" he murmured, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face.
{Don't think because you have the cheating system you can underestimate any monster, you are just lucky with that attack. If that it's was connected with your heart or Head, you will be his dinner instead.}
"Thanks for the pep talk," Supreme said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
{That is not a pep talk, I think you really are a dumbass.}
Supreme chose to ignore the system's insult, focusing on the task at hand. He slowly rose to his feet.
"You are right on one thing. I thought I am the God in the game with all my cheats, but I forgot one thing."
"Even those with cheats can till loss a game being overly careless, so thanks for that."
He stood up, sheathing his dagger. He decided to rely solely on his fists.
'Activate all my cheats, it's time to get serious,' he thought, his resolve hardening.
{As you wish, host.}
{HP restored.}
A surge of energy coursed through his body, and he launched himself forward with explosive speed, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
"Grrraaa!!"
The bear, undeterred, charged forward, its eyes blazing with ferocity.
"Die, you son of a bitch!" Supreme roared, delivering a powerful punch to the bear's head, directly between its eyes.
BANG!
"Grraaa!!!!"
The bear was sent flying backward, crashing into a large boulder with a thunderous impact, spiderweb cracks spreading across the rock's surface.
{Damage delivered: -500.}
{Targeted target: 200/1,000.}
'No way... it's still alive after that attack?!' Supreme thought, his eyes widening in disbelief.
The bear, though visibly weakened, remained standing, its legs trembling.
"I just have to finish you off," Supreme declared, preparing for a final assault.
Suddenly, a figure leaped onto the bear's back, a dagger flashing in the dim light. A swift, decisive strike to the bear's head brought the creature crashing to the ground, dead.
'What the butt?!' Supreme growled inwardly, his anger simmering.
<0/1,000.>
AI's voice echoed in the minds of both players, delivering different messages.
Poisonous Queen:
Supreme:
The final statement sent a wave of frustration through Supreme.
'What the fuck?! I'm the one who fought it, and she just stole my kill!' Supreme seethed.
"Ahh! That was intense!" Poisonous Queen exclaimed, a smile playing on her lips as she jumped down from the bear's carcass.
'Intense?! You fucking stole my kill!' Supreme thought, forcing a smile.
"You are good, you finished it off after waiting for it to get to the weakened state," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Poisonous Queen, understanding the underlying meaning, responded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Won't you give me that kill? Or, don't you love me anymore?"
'Love you my foot! I was really stupid to fall for a snake like you,' Supreme thought, maintaining his facade.
"What are you saying? Of course, I love you. Okay, from now on, you will be fighting all the monsters we meet on the way."
"What?! No way, why would you let me do that?!" she protested, her brow furrowed.
"Huh? Isn't that what you want?" he asked, feigning confusion.
"No, you will be doing the fighting."
"--Then you have to carry the bag."
After a moment of contemplation, Poisonous Queen nodded. "Fine, that is what teammates are for."
'Is she serious?! "What teammates are for?!" You can't even assist in a fight, only to carry harmless load, and you call yourself a teammate,' he thought, his frustration mounting. He said, "Good, now let's get this bear ready. We must cook the fresh meat now, before it gets dark."
"And why is that?" Poisonous Queen asked, her eyes fixed on him.
Supreme shook his head and crouched beside the bear, unsheathing his dagger.
"So we wouldn't alert monsters and other players. Do you know how a bonfire will look after everything gets dark?"
"No," Poisonous Queen replied, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity, as she found a dry spot to sit down and began cleaning her dagger.
"It will look like a bright beacon whose only job is to attract dangers to us," Supreme explained, beginning to butcher the bear.
Poisonous Queen watched him in silence.
[NIGHT TIME.]
The two sat on a hilltop, consuming roasted bear and wolf meat. Despite the absence of seasoning, they ate with a ravenous hunger.
Supreme, thanks to his system's benefits, wasn't overly concerned about food. He ate a small portion and dried the rest, storing it in a grass bag for later.
After their meal, Poisonous Queen turned to Supreme.
"What is it?" he asked, his gaze fixed on the dried meat.
"What is the plan?" she inquired.
"We'll think about that tomorrow," he replied calmly, settling back down.
Poisonous Queen glanced at the horizon, her brow furrowed as she observed the distant flames.
"Are we safe from that?"
Supreme followed her gaze and nodded. "Yes."
"Okay. Good night, wake me when it's time to move," Poisonous Queen said, lying down on the ground, trusting him for the time being.
"Good night," Supreme muttered.
He had yet to eliminate her, wanting to observe if she would replicate her past betrayal.
Supreme listened to her steady breathing, confirming she had fallen asleep.
'Now let's check the map,' he thought, summoning a holographic map.
The map displayed various colored dots, the purple and red ones catching his attention. However, the ominous black dot, marked with a skull, was the most concerning.
'Is this a monster?' he wondered.
{Monster. Known as: The Calamity. Boss of the game.}
{NOTE: Each game has a Boss, defeat the Boss and win the game.}
'Calamity? Boss of the game? That will be troublesome. What level is this thing?'
{Host needs to face the monster to know.}
"Are you kidding me?! That thing is the boss! He might be stronger than a level Ten monster!" Supreme exclaimed, his voice laced with exasperation as he addressed the system.
In an instant, the black skull icon on the map began to move with startling velocity, traversing two hundred miles in the blink of an eye.
"What the? How can it be so fast!" Supreme muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the map. The monstrous entity was fleeing from the raging wall of flames, heading directly towards the island's center, where the ten level ten monsters were currently positioned.
"What's in the center of this island that everyone is trying to reach?" Supreme wondered aloud, his voice low as he zoomed in on the map's central region.
At the heart of the island stood an imposing structure, its architecture both magnificent and enigmatic.
'Is that a castle or a temple?' Supreme questioned inwardly, his mind reeling with possibilities. 'It means something valuable is in this building. System, can you show me the interior of the building?'
{Host needs to enter the building to know,}
'Can't you help with anything?' Supreme asked, a frown creasing his brow.
{I can tell you what is inside,}
'What a lovely system you are, can you please tell me?' Supreme said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
{A Weapon}
Supreme remained silent for a moment, expecting the system to elaborate on the nature of the weapon. However, the system remained stubbornly silent.
'Is that all?' Supreme asked, his patience wearing thin.
{Were you expecting more?} the system countered.
'I thought you would give me an explanation,' Supreme said, his voice laced with frustration.
{Claim the weapon skin, and you will know the detail,}
'What a fuck-up system,' Supreme muttered under his breath.
{"....."}
'We will head there tomorrow,' Supreme decided, closing the map with a decisive gesture.
Poisonous Queen was roused from her slumber by the sound of heavy breathing. She sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hands. Once her vision cleared, she observed Supreme, who was diligently performing push-ups in front of her.
'He looks so cool,' she thought.
"Good morning," Supreme muttered, rising to his feet and approaching her.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Yes, but I am a little thirsty," she replied.
"We will find water on the way, let's go," he said, packing up the dried roasted meat.
"Where are we going?" Poisonous Queen asked, standing up.
"To the center of the island," he replied.